·S1 E13
Ep 07 Part 2: Parking, Fire Codes, and Stairways…Oh My! How Deregulation Can Unlock Housing
Episode Description
Host Atticus LeBlanc continues a conversation with Alex Horowitz of Pew Charitable Trusts about housing reform momentum and evidence that reducing regulatory barriers increases supply and improves affordability. Alex discusses how cities and states eliminated parking mandates and reduced lot sizes, leading to long-term housing affordability. They also discuss building and fire codes, focusing on allowing single-stair designs, which research suggests can cut construction costs while enabling larger, better-lit units. Finally, Alex emphasizes bipartisan policy optimism, including federal legislation proposals, with by-right apartments on commercially zoned land as a key lever. Atticus summed up these deregulations with the line: “make it legal, make it easy, and they will come.”
00:00 Welcome Back and Setup
00:25 Momentum for Housing Reform
01:37 Minneapolis Zoning Wins
03:45 Austin and Houston Supply Surge
05:36 Why Officials Miss the Data
06:45 More Reform Case Studies
08:43 Fire Codes and Housing Costs
10:34 Single Stair Buildings Explained
12:44 Safety Data and Tradeoffs
17:19 Reasons for Optimism
20:23 Rapid Fire Q and A
23:09 Closing and Where to Learn More
One Room at a Time podcast: https://padsplit.com/podcast
Connect with Atticus LeBlanc on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atticus-leblanc-3960466/
Connect with Alex Horowitz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-horowitz-69549945/
References:
- Housing Policy Research: pew.org/housingpolicy
- Pew Research: Modern Multifamily Buildings Provide the Most Fire Protection: https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2025/09/modern-multifamily-buildings-provide-the-most-fire-protection
- Pew Research: States Advance Single-Stairway Reforms to Expand Housing: https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2025/11/04/states-advance-single-stairway-reforms-to-expand-housing
- Pew Research: Small Single-Stairway Apartment Buildings Have Strong Safety Record: https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2025/02/small-single-stairway-apartment-buildings-have-strong-safety-record
- Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity by Yoni Applelbaum: https://a.co/d/00ypoJO1
- Why Nothing Works by Marc Dunkelman: https://a.co/d/02mDeWjA
- Recoding America by Jennifer Pahlka: https://a.co/d/0gEn07yr